By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LSU-Shreveport set a national baseball record this season with 59 straight wins, and a pair of players with “Southern Six” connections will ge getting a National Championship ring to celebrate that major accomplishment.

The Pilots made history Friday night at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, defeating Southeastern (Fla.) 13-7 in front of 2,435 fans to win the 2025 NAIA Baseball World Series — capturing the program’s first national championship and completing a perfect 59-0 season, the longest win streak in college baseball history at any level.

The top-ranked Pilots became the first team in college baseball history to finish a season undefeated while also sweeping through the national tournament. Their 59-game win streak is now the longest in college baseball history, marking a crowning achievement under sixth-year head coach Brad Neffendorf.

Former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product D.J. Walker, a senior outfielder, had a pair of plate appearances in the World Series for the Pilots. He played at Brandon High School. Walker saw action in 44 games this season, with three home runs, five doubles, two triples and 26 runs batted in while hitting .381.

LSUS erased an early 4-0 deficit behind a resilient offense that exploded for 11 runs over the final four innings Friday night. Shortstop Jose Sallorin delivered three hits and three RBIs, including the go-ahead run in the sixth. Outfielder Ryan Davenport added three RBIs of his own, while Jackson Syring and Ian Montz launched back-to-back home runs in the sixth to put the Pilots ahead for good.

Down 4-0 after two innings and 7-5 entering the bottom of the sixth, LSUS used a five-run frame to take a commanding 10-7 lead. Sallorin tied the game with an RBI single before Davenport and Austin Gomm drove in runs to pad the lead. Josh Gibson and Syring added insurance RBIs in the seventh and eighth to seal the title.

Kenneth Schecter (4-0) earned the win in relief, tossing four innings of two-hit ball with two strikeouts. Starter Brock Lucas lasted two innings, allowing four runs on four hits, while Draven Zeigler bridged the middle frames. Issac Rhode, the Red River Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, closed out the night with a scoreless ninth.

Byrion Robinson, a Pearl River Community College product and former Brookhave High standout, is also on the pitching staff for the Pilots but he was red-shirted this season.

Southeastern (Fla.) jumped out early behind a two-run double by James Strom in the first and a two-RBI triple by Charlie Collins in the second. But the Fire couldn’t withstand the unrelenting LSUS lineup that drew seven walks and collected 13 hits on the night.

Bryce McDonald (6-6) took the loss for Southeastern, allowing three runs on five hits over 2.1 innings.

The title win was the final gem in a season full of accolades for LSUS:

• Ranked No. 1 in every NAIA Top 25 poll from start to finish.
• Went 47-0 in the regular season, including 30-0 in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play.
• Swept the RRAC Tournament with a pair of double-digit wins.
• Hosted and swept the Shreveport Bracket in the NAIA Opening Round.